Viva la Salud Blog

It's Still Allergy Season! Be Aware of the Possibility of Allergies in Kids
Evelyn
posted on July 9, 2014, 03:30

Yes, the sniffing, blowing, sneezing. It’s allergy season! These symptoms can be particularly troubling when experienced by very young children who haven’t learned the fine art of nose blowing or sneeze covering.

According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America:

An allergy is characterized by an overreaction of the human immune system to a foreign protein substance (“allergen”) that is eaten, breathed into the lungs, injected or touched. This immune overreaction can results in symptoms such as coughing, sneezing, itchy eyes, runny nose and scratchy throat. In severe cases it can also result in rashes, hives, lower blood pressure, difficulty breathing, and asthma attacks.

Any child can develop an allergy, but allergies do have a genetic component -- meaning they are hereditary. In most people, allergies tend to first appear in infancy or early childhood.

Food allergies - Food allergy is more common among children than adults. About 90% of all food allergy reactions are cause by 8 foods: milk, soy, eggs, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish. Fortunately, many children with food allergies will outgrow them.

It is important to distinguish between a true allergen, and an intolerance or sensitivity:

In a true allergy, the immune system is involved, creating antibodies called IgE to fight the invading allergen. Symptoms can affect a person’s eyes/nose/throat, lungs, skin, or gastrointestinal tract. Future exposure to that same allergen will trigger an allergic response again. This can be every time a person eats a certain food or is exposed to a particular allergen.

It’s easy to confuse food allergies with food intolerance because of similar symptoms. But a food intolerance doesn't involve the immune system. It can be caused by a person's inability to digest certain substances, such as lactose. Viva la Salud is here to help with our colorful shelf tags highlighing 'lactose free' or 'gluten free' for customers with those particular food intolerances. Symptoms of food intolerances can be unpleasant, but rarely dangerous.